Thai Workers Case

Summary

In June 2011, the Canadian Immigration Board decided that 19 Thai farm workers, victims of human trafficking, would be allowed to stay in Canada for another two years so they would have time to apply for permanent residency. In 2005 the farm workers paid recruiters in Thailand up to $10,000 each to bring them to Canada to work for employers. When recruiters told them they could earn $2,000 a month working in Canada, they did not hesitate, even if it meant leaving their families behind. Once they arrived in Canada their passports were confiscated and they were forced to work for free.

This case sets a precedent in Canada. The Board decision in favour of the workers raises hopes that victims will be better taken into consideration in the future. It means that workers should no longer face being sent to jail or deported to their homeland when they break the terms of their work permit by leaving abusive employers. This case will therefore improve the protection of future victims of human trafficking in Canada by removing two of the threats that traffickers use to control workers: imprisonment and deportation. All 19 Thai workers are now working on farms in the Windsor area.